GAME DAY INFO: #2 Louisville (40-12, 23-4 ACC) vs. #7 Vanderbilt (36-16, 18-9 SEC)
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 | 6 p.m. ET
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000)
Live Stats: Gametracker at GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball
TV: ESPN3 (Watch) | Radio: 93.9 The Ville
Web: CardsTV Audio (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: Fr. RHP Kade McClure (1-0, 3.08 ERA)
VU: Fr. LHP Ryan Johnson (4-0, 1.94 ERA)
• Louisville Baseball Game Notes (vs. Vanderbilt) | Media Center
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The second-ranked Louisville baseball team hosts No. 7 Vanderbilt on Tuesday at 6 p.m., ET in the regular season finale at Jim Patterson Stadium. Admission is free for the annual Battle of the Barrel, which will be televised by ESPN3 and aired on 93.9 The Ville. Subscribers of CardsTV can listen to live audio at GoCards.com.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Earning its 11th straight series win and the ninth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference series victory, Louisville clinched the 2015 ACC Atlantic Division championship and won the final two games of a weekend series against then-No. 7 Florida State. The Cardinals, carrying their highest ranking in program history at No. 2 in the D1Baseball, NCBWA, USA Today coaches and Perfect Game polls, have won 29 of their last 35 games overall. At 23-4 in the ACC, Louisville has set a school record for conference wins in a single season (previous record was 21). The Cardinals need two wins in their final conference series to set a new single season ACC record for conference victories.
ABOUT THE COMMODORES
Vanderbilt enters the final week of the regular season at 36-16 and is atop the SEC Eastern Division with an 18-9 conference mark after dropping two of three home games last weekend to Florida. Last season, the Commodores won their first NCAA baseball championship defeating Virginia in the College World Series Finals. Vanderbilt finished with a 51-21 record overall and was third in the SEC East with a 17-13 mark.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville is 7-23 all-time against Vanderbilt in a series dating back to 1953. Last season, the teams split a pair of games with the Cardinals earning an 11-7 win in Nashville to gain possession of the Barrel, while the Commodores answered with a 5-3 victory in Omaha in the opening round of the College World Series.
NO. 9 IN THE RPI, NO. 3 IN TOP 50 WINS
With less than two weeks of action remaining until the 2015 NCAA Championship field is announced, Louisville entered the week at No. 9 in the official NCAA RPI rankings released on Monday. The Cardinals are tied for third nationally in RPI top 50 wins with 15 trailing only LSU and Florida State with 16 each.
FEELING AT HOME IN PATTERSON STADIUM
Since opening the gates at Jim Patterson Stadium in 2005, the Cardinals have won more than 75 percent of their games in the ballpark posting a 273-87 record (.758 winning percentage), including a 25-5 mark this season at the corner of Third and Central.
ACC ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPIONS
Entering the final week of the ACC regular season race, Louisville has clinched the Atlantic Division title and the top seed in the 2015 ACC Championship in its inaugural season. At 23-4 overall, the Cardinals are six games clear of Florida State (17-10) in the Atlantic with Notre Dame (15-12), NC State (13-12) and Clemson (13-13) next. Miami (19-8) has clinched the Coastal and is followed by North Carolina (13-13), Georgia Tech (13-14) and Virginia Tech (12-14).
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Through 52 games this season, the Louisville bullpen has a 1.74 ERA with an 19-0 record, 189 strikeouts to just 78 walks in 180.2 innings and opposing batters are hitting only .166.
• In 27 ACC games, the Cardinals have a staff ERA of 2.69 with 225 strikeouts in 251.0 innings. The bullpen has a 2.23 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 80.2 innings of work in conference action.
• Louisville has won 134 straight games when entering the ninth inning with a lead dating back to May 2012. The Cardinals were 43-0 last season and 46-0 in 2013 when leading after the eighth.
• The Cardinals have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 32 of 52 games this season. Last season, they did it in 40 of 67 games, while in 2013, they accomplished the feat in 36 of 65 games.
• Louisville is 28-0 this season when scoring first and 15-0 when scoring in the first inning.
• From March 21 to April 10 of this season, the Cardinals played 83 consecutive innings against ACC opponents without trailing.
• The win over Florida State on May 10 clinched Louisville's fourth straight 40-win season and the eighth in nine seasons under the direction of head coach Dan McDonnell.
• Louisville has won 11 straight series against a nationally ranked opponents.
PLAYER NOTES AND TRENDS
• Sutton Whiting leads the Cardinals in hitting with a .340 average overall in 49 starts. In ACC action, Whiting has a .369 average and has reached safely in 24 of his 25 conference games.
• Corey Ray leads the Cardinals with 11 home runs, 47 RBI, 41 runs scored and 28 stolen bases in 35 attempts. He's also hitting .332 overall while starting all three outfield positions.
• In 27 ACC games, Ray has seven home runs, 26 RBI, 21 stolen bases and a .348 average.
• As the first player in Dan McDonnell's nine seasons to start on the mound and play virtually every day as a position player/hitter, freshman Brendan McKay is 8-1 with four saves, a 1.65 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 71.0 innings pitched (16 appearances, nine starts.). At the plate, he is hitting .323 with two home runs, 28 RBI, 27 runs scored and 32 walks in 45 starts as a hitter.
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 | 6 p.m. ET
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000)
Live Stats: Gametracker at GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball
TV: ESPN3 (Watch) | Radio: 93.9 The Ville
Web: CardsTV Audio (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: Fr. RHP Kade McClure (1-0, 3.08 ERA)
VU: Fr. LHP Ryan Johnson (4-0, 1.94 ERA)
• Louisville Baseball Game Notes (vs. Vanderbilt) | Media Center
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The second-ranked Louisville baseball team hosts No. 7 Vanderbilt on Tuesday at 6 p.m., ET in the regular season finale at Jim Patterson Stadium. Admission is free for the annual Battle of the Barrel, which will be televised by ESPN3 and aired on 93.9 The Ville. Subscribers of CardsTV can listen to live audio at GoCards.com.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Earning its 11th straight series win and the ninth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference series victory, Louisville clinched the 2015 ACC Atlantic Division championship and won the final two games of a weekend series against then-No. 7 Florida State. The Cardinals, carrying their highest ranking in program history at No. 2 in the D1Baseball, NCBWA, USA Today coaches and Perfect Game polls, have won 29 of their last 35 games overall. At 23-4 in the ACC, Louisville has set a school record for conference wins in a single season (previous record was 21). The Cardinals need two wins in their final conference series to set a new single season ACC record for conference victories.
ABOUT THE COMMODORES
Vanderbilt enters the final week of the regular season at 36-16 and is atop the SEC Eastern Division with an 18-9 conference mark after dropping two of three home games last weekend to Florida. Last season, the Commodores won their first NCAA baseball championship defeating Virginia in the College World Series Finals. Vanderbilt finished with a 51-21 record overall and was third in the SEC East with a 17-13 mark.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville is 7-23 all-time against Vanderbilt in a series dating back to 1953. Last season, the teams split a pair of games with the Cardinals earning an 11-7 win in Nashville to gain possession of the Barrel, while the Commodores answered with a 5-3 victory in Omaha in the opening round of the College World Series.
NO. 9 IN THE RPI, NO. 3 IN TOP 50 WINS
With less than two weeks of action remaining until the 2015 NCAA Championship field is announced, Louisville entered the week at No. 9 in the official NCAA RPI rankings released on Monday. The Cardinals are tied for third nationally in RPI top 50 wins with 15 trailing only LSU and Florida State with 16 each.
FEELING AT HOME IN PATTERSON STADIUM
Since opening the gates at Jim Patterson Stadium in 2005, the Cardinals have won more than 75 percent of their games in the ballpark posting a 273-87 record (.758 winning percentage), including a 25-5 mark this season at the corner of Third and Central.
ACC ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPIONS
Entering the final week of the ACC regular season race, Louisville has clinched the Atlantic Division title and the top seed in the 2015 ACC Championship in its inaugural season. At 23-4 overall, the Cardinals are six games clear of Florida State (17-10) in the Atlantic with Notre Dame (15-12), NC State (13-12) and Clemson (13-13) next. Miami (19-8) has clinched the Coastal and is followed by North Carolina (13-13), Georgia Tech (13-14) and Virginia Tech (12-14).
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Through 52 games this season, the Louisville bullpen has a 1.74 ERA with an 19-0 record, 189 strikeouts to just 78 walks in 180.2 innings and opposing batters are hitting only .166.
• In 27 ACC games, the Cardinals have a staff ERA of 2.69 with 225 strikeouts in 251.0 innings. The bullpen has a 2.23 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 80.2 innings of work in conference action.
• Louisville has won 134 straight games when entering the ninth inning with a lead dating back to May 2012. The Cardinals were 43-0 last season and 46-0 in 2013 when leading after the eighth.
• The Cardinals have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 32 of 52 games this season. Last season, they did it in 40 of 67 games, while in 2013, they accomplished the feat in 36 of 65 games.
• Louisville is 28-0 this season when scoring first and 15-0 when scoring in the first inning.
• From March 21 to April 10 of this season, the Cardinals played 83 consecutive innings against ACC opponents without trailing.
• The win over Florida State on May 10 clinched Louisville's fourth straight 40-win season and the eighth in nine seasons under the direction of head coach Dan McDonnell.
• Louisville has won 11 straight series against a nationally ranked opponents.
PLAYER NOTES AND TRENDS
• Sutton Whiting leads the Cardinals in hitting with a .340 average overall in 49 starts. In ACC action, Whiting has a .369 average and has reached safely in 24 of his 25 conference games.
• Corey Ray leads the Cardinals with 11 home runs, 47 RBI, 41 runs scored and 28 stolen bases in 35 attempts. He's also hitting .332 overall while starting all three outfield positions.
• In 27 ACC games, Ray has seven home runs, 26 RBI, 21 stolen bases and a .348 average.
• As the first player in Dan McDonnell's nine seasons to start on the mound and play virtually every day as a position player/hitter, freshman Brendan McKay is 8-1 with four saves, a 1.65 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 71.0 innings pitched (16 appearances, nine starts.). At the plate, he is hitting .323 with two home runs, 28 RBI, 27 runs scored and 32 walks in 45 starts as a hitter.
